50 research outputs found

    Auction-Stackelberg game framework for access permission in femtocell networks with multiple network operators

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    With the explosive growth of indoor data traffic in forthcoming fifth generation cellular networks, it is imperative for mobile network operators to improve network coverage and capacity. Femtocells are widely recognized as a promising technology to address these demands. As femtocells are sold or loaned by a mobile network operator (MNO) to its residential or enterprise customers, MNOs usually employ refunding scheme to compensate the femtocell holders (FHs) providing indoor access to other subscribers by configuring the femtocell to operate in open or hybrid access mode. Due to the selfishness nature, competition between network operators as well as femtocell holders makes it challenging for operators to select appropriate FHs for trading access resources. This inspires us to develop an effective refunding framework, with aim to improve overall network resource utilization, through promoting FHs to make reasonable access permission for well-matched macro users. In this paper, we develop a two-stage auction–Stackelberg game (ASGF) framework for access permission in femtocell networks, where MNO and mobile virtual network operator lease access resources from multiple FHs. We first design an auction mechanism to determine the winner femtocell that fulfils the access request of macro users. We next formulate the access permission problem between the winner femtocell and operators as a Stackelberg game, and theoretically prove the existence of unique equilibrium. As a higher system payoff can be gained by improving individual players’ payoff in the game, each player can choose the best response to others’ action by implementing access permission, while avoiding solving a complicated optimization problem. Numerical results validate the effectiveness of our proposed ASGF based refunding framework and the overall network efficiency can be improved significantly

    Stackelberg Game for Access Permission in Femtocell Network with Multiple Network Operators

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    Femtocells are widely recognized as a promising technology to meet the requirements of indoor coverage in forthcoming fifth generation cellular networks (5G). As femtocell holders (FHs) can be users themselves or mobile network operators, it makes challenges to holistic network resource utilization. In particular, due to the selfishness nature, FHs are usually unwilling to accommodate extra users without compensation. This inspires us to develop an effective refunding mechanism, with aim to allow competitive network operators to employ truthful refunding policy, and to encourage FHs to make appropriate access permission. In this paper, we first define a refunding strategy function and price-coefficient for the refunding policy. We then formulate the access permission as a Stackelberg game and theoretically prove the existence of unique Nash Equilibrium. Numerical results validate the effectiveness of our proposed mechanism and overall network efficiency is improved significantly as well

    Auction based competition of hybrid small cells for dropped macrocell users

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    We propose an auction based beamforming and user association algorithm for a wireless network consisting of a macrocell and multiple small cell access points (SCAs). The SCAs compete for serving the macrocell base station (MBS) users (MUs). The corresponding user association problem is solved by the proposed bid-wait auction (BWA) method. We considered two scenarios. In the first scenario, the MBS initially admits the largest possible set of MUs that it can serve simultaneously and then auctions off the remaining MUs to the SCAs, who are willing to admit guest users (GUs) in addition to their commitments to serve their own host users (HUs). This problem is solved by the proposed forward bid-wait auction (FBWA). In the second scenario, the MBS aims to offload as many MUs as possible to the SCAs and then admits the largest possible set of remaining MUs. This is solved by the proposed backward bid-wait auction (BBWA). The proposed algorithms provide close to optimum solution as if obtained using a centralised global optimization

    Access control for hybrid femtocell network based on AGV mechanism

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    As most of voice calls and data traffic originates indoors, femtocells have been one of the most promising trends in LTE, which are short-range, cost-beneficial and low-power cellular home base stations that can improve indoor coverage and voice/data quality of service (QoS). One of the major challenges for femtocell network is the access control. The hybrid access control mechanism, as a tradeoff between open and closed scenario, is the most promising access mechanism from which both users and operators benefit. Femtocell user equipments (FUEs) select femtocell access points (FAPs) according to their reported channel information which FAPs confidently own, and selfish FAPs have incentive to report larger information to win greater opportunity to be selected. Considering the aforementioned truth-telling in access control issue, this paper proposes access control scheme for hybrid femtocell network based on Arrow-d'Aspremont-Gerard-Varet (AGV) mechanism. Close form for the payment is given. Moreover, the access control scheme is nearly optimal performances with low computational complexity compared with the optimal access scheme. Furthermore, the simulation results demonstrate that the access control scheme can be apply to hybrid femtocell network. ? 2014 Global IT Research Institute (GIRI).EICPCI-S(ISTP)

    Game theory for collaboration in future networks

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    Cooperative strategies have the great potential of improving network performance and spectrum utilization in future networking environments. This new paradigm in terms of network management, however, requires a novel design and analysis framework targeting a highly flexible networking solution with a distributed architecture. Game Theory is very suitable for this task, since it is a comprehensive mathematical tool for modeling the highly complex interactions among distributed and intelligent decision makers. In this way, the more convenient management policies for the diverse players (e.g. content providers, cloud providers, home providers, brokers, network providers or users) should be found to optimize the performance of the overall network infrastructure. The authors discuss in this chapter several Game Theory models/concepts that are highly relevant for enabling collaboration among the diverse players, using different ways to incentivize it, namely through pricing or reputation. In addition, the authors highlight several related open problems, such as the lack of proper models for dynamic and incomplete information games in this area.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

    Applications of Game Theory and Microeconomics in Cognitive Radio and Femtocell Networks

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    Cognitive radio networks have recently been proposed as a promising approach to overcome the serious problem of spectrum scarcity. Other emerging concept for innovative spectrum utilization is femtocells. Femtocells are low-power and short-range wireless access points installed by the end-user in residential or enterprise environments. A common feature of cognitive radio and femtocells is their two-tier nature involving primary and secondary users (PUs, SUs). While this new paradigm enables innovative alternatives to conventional spectrum management and utilization, it also brings its own technical challenges. A main challenge in cognitive radio is the design of efficient resource (spectrum) trading methods. Game and microeconomics theories provide tools for studying the strategic interactions through rationality and economic benefits between PUs and SUs for effective resource allocation. In this thesis, we investigate some efficient game theoretic and microeconomic approaches to address spectrum trading in cognitive networks. We propose two auction frameworks for shared and exclusive use models. In the first auction mechanism, we consider the shared used model in cognitive radio networks and design a spectrum trading method to maximize the total satisfaction of the SUs and revenue of the Wireless Service Provider (WSP). In the second auction mechanism, we investigate spectrum trading via auction approach for exclusive usage spectrum access model in cognitive radio networks. We consider a realistic valuation function and propose an efficient concurrent Vickrey-Clarke-Grove (VCG) mechanism for non-identical channel allocation among r-minded bidders in two different cases. The realization of cognitive radio networks in practice requires the development of effective spectrum sensing methods. A fundamental question is how much time to allocate for sensing purposes. In the literature on cognitive radio, it is commonly assumed that fixed time durations are assigned for spectrum sensing and data transmission. It is however possible to improve the network performance by finding the best tradeoff between sensing time and throughput. In this thesis, we derive an expression for the total average throughput of the SUs over time-varying fading channels. Then we maximize the total average throughput in terms of sensing time and the number of SUs assigned to cooperatively sense each channel. For practical implementation, we propose a dynamical programming algorithm for joint optimization of sensing time and the number of cooperating SUs for sensing purpose. Simulation results demonstrate that significant improvement in the throughput of SUs is achieved in the case of joint optimization. In the last part of the thesis, we further address the challenge of pricing in oligopoly market for open access femtocell networks. We propose dynamic pricing schemes based on microeconomic and game theoretic approaches such as market equilibrium, Bertrand game, multiple-leader-multiple-follower Stackelberg game. Based on our approaches, the per unit price of spectrum can be determined dynamically and mobile service providers can gain more revenue than fixed pricing scheme. Our proposed methods also provide residential customers more incentives and satisfaction to participate in open access model.1 yea

    Coalitional Games with Overlapping Coalitions for Interference Management in Small Cell Networks

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    In this paper, we study the problem of cooperative interference management in an OFDMA two-tier small cell network. In particular, we propose a novel approach for allowing the small cells to cooperate, so as to optimize their sum-rate, while cooperatively satisfying their maximum transmit power constraints. Unlike existing work which assumes that only disjoint groups of cooperative small cells can emerge, we formulate the small cells' cooperation problem as a coalition formation game with overlapping coalitions. In this game, each small cell base station can choose to participate in one or more cooperative groups (or coalitions) simultaneously, so as to optimize the tradeoff between the benefits and costs associated with cooperation. We study the properties of the proposed overlapping coalition formation game and we show that it exhibits negative externalities due to interference. Then, we propose a novel decentralized algorithm that allows the small cell base stations to interact and self-organize into a stable overlapping coalitional structure. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm results in a notable performance advantage in terms of the total system sum-rate, relative to the noncooperative case and the classical algorithms for coalitional games with non-overlapping coalitions
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